Review: The US Grant San Diego, a Luxury Collection Hotel

I recently enjoyed a weekend getaway in San Diego at the US Grant, a Luxury Collection Hotel. I had a SPG Category 5 certificate to use and I’ve always wanted to try out the US Grant, so this was the perfect opportunity. The only downtown San Diego hotel I’ve stayed at previously was the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which I enjoyed very much, so I was excited to compare the two!

MY OVERALL SCORE: 4.5

Quick Summary: The US Grant is a beautiful 5 star property, a much appreciated luxury hotel option in San Diego. But unfortunately, the sub-par location hinders the excellence of the hotel.

Check-In:

The US Grant’s lobby is quite grand, and I found it beautiful. The renovation they did was very tastefully done.

Lobby

Check in was really quick, and I was assigned to a Deluxe Room with 2 Queen Beds on the 5th floor.

On the way to The Room:

The elevator landing was also very nice and updated. It was much larger than I expected, and it really gave off a grand impression.

Elevator Landing

After entering the room, I noticed my room was a bit muggy at first, but the thermostat worked once we were in the room which was good.

Immediately after entering, there is a large cabinet that also has a Keurig + Hot Water Kettle. Tea Bags and Coffee capsules were provided, as well as two bottles of water.

Room

In the closet, there was an ironing board, a robe and two sets of slippers.

In terms of the room, the two Queen beds were gorgeous and looked super plush! They were also very comfortable, definitely a 5 star bed!

2 Queens!

There was a nice desk overlooking the window, and the bathroom was in the back of the room as well. I appreciated the abundance of power ports + USB charging in the room. Considering it is an old hotel, they made sure to update the technology. The nightstand had charging ports, as well as the desk and next to the TV!

The bathroom was nice, and it even had a window! Even though it was a standard 3 piece bathroom, it was very large with ample counter space.

One weird thing with the window is that it is immovable and it wasn’t fully closed so there was this gap in the window and you could hear everything outside from the bathroom. I think it may have just been a design flaw in this room?

Amenities:

A nice touch is the bagged ice in a cooler next to the elevators. Rather than going to your room, retrieving the ice bucket, and going to an ice machine, you can just grab a bag of ice on your way back to your room.

I noticed that the hotel said they have turndown service. I came back to my room at 9, and there wasn’t anything so I assume the service must be requested. Not like my stay at another Luxury Collection property, The Nines in Portland, where turndown service occurred every night without request.

There’s a fitness center on the lower level that was well equipped. I did not try a meal at the Grant Grill, but it looked festive when I passed by. On a plus note, I really appreciated the free coffee and tea in the lobby in the morning; that was a nice touch!!

Fitness

Fitness

Free Morning Coffee and Tea

History:

Fun fact: I walked around the meeting rooms/ballrooms of the hotel and found out that 15 US presidents have stayed at this hotel! That’s pretty cool!

Fun fact 2: The hotel was built by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., son of president Ulysses S. Grant, who named the hotel after his father.

Location:

The location is conveinent, in the more northern part of the Gaslamp District right across the Westfield Horton Plaza. Sadly, that mall has been deteriorating for years, and the Nordstrom left in 2016. The mall is now an utter ghost town, more so than it was before. For this reason, I do prefer the location of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in the Seaport District. More lively around the area, and closer to the Convention Center if you are looking to be around that.

The Verdict:

The US Grant is a beautiful 5 star property, a much appreciated luxury hotel option in San Diego. Unfortunately, the location leaves much to be desired. I will definitely consider the US Grant for my future visits to the city, but I may want to try out other properties closer to the action.

The US Grant is by far the best hotel in San Diego…and likely the only proper 5* luxury hotel in the downtown environs. While it isn’t “as close” to the bay front/marina as some of the major convention hotels, it is merely a 10 min walk to the Gaslamp district or Little Italy, a 15 min walk to the marina/bayfront, and merely a 5-10 min Uber/taxi ride to any of those. None of those other areas have anything close to the US Grant’s level of luxury, service, and overall 5* accommodation.